Is Your Change Management Program Impacted by Change Saturation? Your Change Management program is in place and communications are going out regularly, but you find your associates disengaged, confused and very skeptical of the upcoming change. You talk regularly with your team and other associates, but you feel like you’re dealing with a disproportionate emotional reaction to each change-related communication that goes out. Do these situations sound familiar? If your Change Management initiative contains all the key components for success and you have been diligent with its implementation but still find the people within the organization unresponsive, you could be dealing with change saturation.
Change saturation is rapidly becoming a crucial Change Management challenge. In a recent survey conducted by Prosci, a leading provider of research on the people side of change, more than one third (36%) of the participants indicated that their Change Management programs were dealing with change saturation challenges and only about one fifth (19%) said that they had spare capacity for managing change. The survey was taken in 2007 with 426 organizations participated, including many of the largest companies and government organizations worldwide. If this survey was taken in today’s chaotic economic environment, it’s likely the situation would be cause for even greater concern. Change saturation has to be taken seriously and must be considered when designing and developing your change management program.
Symptoms of change saturation are similar to the ones we deal with in most change management programs. The key difference is that individuals experiencing change saturation are overwhelmed by and react to the number of changes rather than the change itself. They are exhausted from their effort to distinguish which change is most important and find clear direction in the confusion of so much change. Imagine every major change within an organization having its own change management initiative with associated communication and education programs. Think about the amount of information that an associate would need to absorb in order to stay informed – it’s like drinking out of a fire hose.
The most common symptoms associated with change saturation include: fatigue and burnout resulting from efforts to absorb and handle the number of different changes; associates stalling on action and commitments; associates ignoring change management communication messages — for example, not reading program communications or showing up for important meetings, regardless of who is presenting the information or how; associates disengaging; and apathy spreading. When change saturation is present you are likely to hear comments such as “just tell me what you want me to do” coming from even those who support the program. The organization is increasingly focused on just “fighting fires” and paralysis is increasingly evident in the face of new ideas or urgent situations. Well designed change programs start to fail and their benefits are not realized, identified changes are not sustained and loss of trust in senior leaders grows. No matter how well designed a change management program is, if you are experiencing these symptoms, it is time to take another look at your approach and broaden your view.
Change saturation can be managed when change saturation tactics as defined below are included in the development and implementation of a Change Management program. Before a successful communication plan can be established senior management and, most importantly, senior sponsors have to establish the change priorities. The change sponsor has to be part of this prioritization and must openly support the priorities.
You may be required to facilitate the prioritization of changes. For example, you may need to undertake research on programs in play or scheduled for your organization and ensure that all programs are aligned with the organization’s goals and objects. This intervention will help you in your communications and in facilitating priorities. Programs for prioritization include on-going programs, programs running concurrently with yours and programs that will start before your change program is fully implemented. Make sure you understand why these changes are needed. In times of change saturation knowing the “why” is important for creating a compelling case and maintaining clarity in your organizational communications.
When designing the governance approach for your program, ensure that the governing body has an appreciation for the organizational change priorities. Also ensure that the governing body will collaborate across change initiatives based on the priorities. The governing body has a responsibility to coordinate all changes having direct impact on the human side of change so that they are implemented in the least distributive way.
As part of your education program, ensure that senior management and the Change program management have an appreciation for the effects of change saturation on their organization and the impacts on their leadership responsibilities. Education and communication for associates should include topics such as dealing with multiple priorities, conflict management and problem solving.
Project management practices can also help a change saturated environment. Consider posting a map of initiatives where it can be seen clearly by the organization. Management should make an effort to consolidate similar initiatives, to stagger changes and to cut less strategically significant projects that are not aligned with the demands of today’s financial markets and upcoming regulatory changes.
Change is common in today’s business environments. Do not underestimate the impact of change saturation when building and implementing your Change Management program. Recognizing and addressing change saturation effectively can be the difference between a smooth transition and the failure to deliver lasting change.
